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Welcome to Thailand concentration camp vacation, big smile!

Jw1206, you are right! Do not come to Thailand now. The beaches will wait for you when all the dogs stop chasing their own tails and have their *hit right, you can visit. .

Today the last of the 70% for herd immunity would have to be vaccinated for the second time as it will only show full effect in two weeks! Not even half is done and it was always made this as the first condition for opening!

Wow. I had made reservations for the Phuket re-opening, and was willing to put up with some restrictions, but prisoner tracking bracelets are a red line. I will wait another week for further information before I cancel the reservations, but there is no way I will go to Phuket under these restrictions. What is next, requiring a big, red “V” tatoo for tbe vaccinated?

so are you afraid that the tourist vaccinated with three PCR tests could infect the local population or is it the tourist who should be afraid of being infected by a local population not fully vaccinated? It is thought that 129,000 people can accept these lager measures, which you are free to impose, but I don't think they can encourage a return to Phuket. from 2006 to 2020 I spent 5 months a year with my family in Phuket and with great regret I will not return until there is normality. Good luck in Phuket and its inhabitants.

"In addition, they are busy devising punishments not only for these tourists, but for anyone who tries to help them." Are the official mad ? What drugs they are on, i want some too. What's the point of visiting Phuket when you're treated like a criminal?

Removed

Come to Thailand and get treated like convict with tracking bracelet. Want to go to short time hotel with Thai Lady? Think again! With this tracking bracelet, Thai government will know you go to other hotel and then add 1 and 1 together to come to the conclusion you are doing boom boom and violating social distancing laws. Yep... Thai government and Tourism Authority really brainstormed this one together. Idiots to think hundreds of thousands to millions of foreigners are going to agree to this.

May as well add a $1,000,000 dollar non refundable deposit to the list of hoops to jump through.

I'm left wondering if all this was in the "come to Phuket, Thailand" advertising material. Sounds way too CCP to me I'm afraid. Honestly safety is important but the only ones coming a fully vaccinated tourists. The vaccine either works or it doesn't. They hop on a plane with a clear test. The sandbox idea is test. In this format it looks set to render holidays to Thailand way down the list once potential travellers read about tracking devices, phone apps, PUNISHMENTS! And no fun it would appear. I wish them well and feel truly sorry for those who rely on the tourist industry for a living. I hope I am wrong.

Dont talk for the whole world or europe because they are open up already and nobody would ever accept these nonsense. This might be for Thailands future (and China) but defently not for the rest of the world!

Wow tourists shall pay to be an inmate of Alcatraz? These clowns are complete nuts!

NO genuine tourist will visit Phuket under this circumstances. The tracking wristband is the final killer of this brain-fart from incompetent xenophobe government officials. We left the island and LOScam 1 week ago for good - long overdue - but finally because of the ongoing restrictions like mask wearing, closed gyms and schools, prohibition of inviting friends etc. etc. We are now in a country where all the measures above not apply. I have to admit that wearing masks in malls is mandatory but it is mostly ignored by the population, same as implemented apps in restaurants etc. are displayed but not monitored. It is basically back to normal and that's what we same as most people like. So why the retarded officials in LOScam thinking that tourists would come back to Phuket can be only explained by the fact that they still believe LOScam is the center of the universe. Do I really mind ? No, let them suffer while we are enjoying our life and freedom.

Arguably these tracking measures are a necessary precaution in these times. However I suspect they will become standard operating procedure in public life... "in the interests of public safety" and all that jazz. Welcome to the future.

https://thethaiger.com/guides/best-of/top-5-meditation-centres-and-retreats-in-thailand

Location tracking wrist band, no thank you. Just when you think Thailand can’t come up with anything else to drive away tourists, they go and outdo themselves. They keep thinking of how to protect the locals from getting the virus from incoming tourists. When the fact is there is almost no chance of that happening. However the reverse is much more likely, tourists getting infected from the locals. I wouldn’t count on large numbers. The funny thing about tourists is they have choices and avoid risk.

Can this doctor with such closed brain and mind, surely rich, can donate 50% of his monthly wealth to avoid more suicides, support the jobless and the ones whom have lost everything, then look at other countries with successful opened schemes to compare ?

What kind of comments do you expect about the incompetence of these clowns and their daily nonsense. They show the whole world that they not even get a job for cleaning outside of Thailand because of their level of competence.

There is always someone declaring: The end of the world is nigh. This renown doctor is a doctor hardy anyone has heard of. A renown critic of Thailand's administration - me - declares: Take your chances with Covid. Even when contracted it is unlikely to kill anyone that is not fat, old, or who is already sick. Some catch Covid, recover, and never know that they have had it.

When the online 90 day system is down, a drive-thru will take anything from 30 to 90 seconds. Last visit there was a car behind me, 30 seconds and no chit chat with the officer. Previous visit was 90 seconds as he printed new TM30 slip to replace my 'screen print'. Last 2 renewals, no re-entry stamp req'd, took about an hour. I usually go just after lunch. They are far more efficient now, and yes, fewer farangs in-country has probably helped speed things up, Mind you, sitting in airconditioned comfort with wifi isn't a big inconvenience, not like 10 years ago when queues formed before dawn to get a ticket.

Sorry officer, my tracking wristband .... 'fell off while swimming' ...or... ' was picked up by dog and ran off' ... in fact the latter would be a fun thing if in fact you attached the tracker to a dogs collar. Frankly, a pendant tracker that could be worn around one's neck (under clothing), which also contain ones vital stats and visa status isn't that far off becoming a reality in many countries.

Are people really still going to be required to do the Cert of Entry (COE) which is a major hassle at their in-country Thai Embassy and takes at least one week? If true, most will not be willing to follow this process. Proof of vaccination and all the required testing is the whole concept behind opening sandboxes, vaccine passports, and travel bubbles.

With this Clowns who rule now Thailand will be no more hope for Thailand. Thailand and Myanmar are in a free fall.

555 = Hahaha which is pretty well known and used term. I can use Hahahaha in future if necessary...

After putting my son to bed for the night, I will sit down and start to read “The Blind Assassin” By Margaret Atwood. This book was the Winner of the Booker Prize back in 2000. It is very literary and not too sure will I enjoy it and the book was recommend and loaned to me from a friend.

I've no idea if that's their thinking or not. But Thai officials seem so disconnected from each other (and reality) that any uniformity of thinking is generally passed down from above.

I am getting old and head few beers, cannot find it. maybe second Thaiger logo at the header will be a better anchor. Thanks anyways, sure you will get many complaints about this issue :)

With those numbers you are certain to win the lottery.

Renowned doctor news report is contradictory in last 2 paragraphs. More waffle to add to existing waffle ... ignore!

Several European countries will let you voluntarily sign up to their government app for close contacts to help to contain the spread of Covid. Imagine thinking up an idea of fitting tourists with location-tracking wristbands and then expect tourists to book a holiday to Thailand, knowing that they have to wear that for the whole duration of their stay. This is madness of the highest level.

Good read - they are both Military Governments run by Generals. But CCP has a lot of experts involved in their plans and schemes which they plan for the long term - clearly this is not the case in Thailand.

Thai Visa asylum is the correct term - and why I dont waste my time there anymore. 15 days til the sandbox starts and they are still putting forward ideas like wristbands and what the rules are will not be finalised until 20 June (Cabinet meeting) and the Royal Gazzette to enact the rules. Little wonder so many of us are skeptical about it all. What chance a few sneak out of Phuket on uncle Tom's boat across to Pang Nga and they have Covid and spread it in (insert their home City) and then all tourists in Phuket are banned from leaving their hotel?? Those are the sort of things that happen in Thailand and do.

This article misses a fact out. The hospital is importing vaccines to sell at a profit right? This is conclusive proof that more vaccines can be imported, however the government seems unable. Why? Is it because they want to create a shortage so hospitals can sell vaccinations? Hospitals that are owned by the persons in power in Thailand?

OH MY GARD1 Just was everyone thought that Thailand was suffering enough, now they have this new danger. Step forward some beribboned official and ban food delivery, which I am sure he will be delighted to do. Better still, the cause of the problem is eating. Ban eating. What next? banning elephants because they sh*t on the road and motorcycles skid and crash as a result? Climate change can wait. The pandemic is the priority

Having lived here 11 years now I can't say I have ever been treated as a 'tourist' or felt unwelcome. Quite the opposite. Our Hangdong Amphur office official bent over backwards to assist with my Yellow Book and even invited me to wait for the Pink Card in his office ... though I think he wanted to practice his English on me. The new Chiang Mai Immi Office is efficient and visa renewals a breeze compared to even 3 years ago. For 90 day reports I either do online or in a 30 second drive-thru when near the airport. TM 30 can be done online easy as, but only necessary upon your return from o/s. A non-O visa requirements are still the same as years ago with the added requirement to retain funds longer in the bank a/c. Hardly a problem though a shame it had to be introduced to curtail the scams which circumvented the deposit requirement. Living in a lush green mooban close to the city and with 100's of farang neighbours I sometimes forget I'm in Thailand.

The Junta is proposing that all Expats on the Retirement Visa and all other long term Visas (12 month Visas) must have mandatory health insurance for 3 million baht for Covid. I have ascertained that it would cost me about $5000 AUD each year to get coverage for the mandatory hospital and out-patient coverage and Covid insurance. Over 20 years (60 to 80) that is going to cost about $200,000 AUD because it goes up each year as you get older - that is beyond the budget for most moderat Expats. That has already been introduced for Retired Expats (except for the mandatory Covid part), and they probably now klnow that is why so many retired Expats left Thailand and why not many apply now - it is not just Covid. BUT even if you could afford it - the reality is that there is absolutely no guarantee that the Thai insurance company will pay. There is no 'consumer rights' in Thailand as we know it in the West, and as an Excpat you have no legal rights. An Expat taking an insurance company to Court in Thailand will cost a fortune and you will not win - no chance. In fact - they will probably sue you for 'defamation' and you will be arrested and charged - and likely to have to leave the country. AND once you turn 70 or 75 most insurance companies will not give you coverage - so you will have to leave Thailand if you cannot find coverage. Those that will proivide coverage will charge exhorbitant fees. I know of many 'married' Expats in Thailand who are over 70 and some over 80, and if the annual renewal/extension process demands they have health insurance coverage, then most of them will probably leave - same as the retired Expats did 2-3 years ago. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot - and again - and again .............. (sorry about length KC)

Thanks KC - hard to limit such a post - and I do appreciate the leniency - and promise the keep all future posts and replies within Guideline 16. I too would not swap to another country - it is either here or Thailand. But back in 2010, if it was as bad as it is now for retired Expats in Thailand, then I would not have met my future wife in 2012 because I would not have chosen Thailand to retire to.

Please wait until Phuket Sandbox fail, save yourself an embarrassment

Research into the latest travel trends shows that the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines is a big determining factor in how long tourists plan to stay and how much they will spend. A TTR Weekly report focuses on research carried out by Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel platform. Travellers across 6 large international markets were surveyed, to determine the impact of vaccination on tourism demand. The research shows up differences in behaviour between those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 versus those who are not. Vaccinated travellers are already planning and booking holidays, as well as planning longer stays and budgeting to […] The post Global travel demand driven by vaccine rollouts: Tripadvisor survey appeared first on Thaiger News. Read the full story

I would like to visit Phuket however if it rests on me getting 'the jab'..I wont be back. I wont ever be back.

I don't think it will happen in August, but if the scientific data confirms that a vaccinated person is extremely unlikely to be a carrier beyond 3 days (as I read elsewhere) then it could happen late this year or early next year when Thailand has vaccinated a significant portion of their population and none of their other schemes will have generated much tourism income for them. As for travellers leaving illegally before their 14 days is over, I think most of us wouldn't risk being caught outside the area because a large fine, deportation and being black-listed for a few years (hopefully no jail time) is a serious deterrent. It won't be popular with the two week millionaires but people like myself who intent to stay a few months would certainly use this scheme. In my case, I don't really want to revisit Pattaya, but it's a much cheaper option than spending 2 weeks in expensive Phuket again, or in ASQ (Which I did last December and will not repeat for 15 nights again).

Again & again, why this government kept worrying on quarantine. The article mentions that any vaccinated farangs will not be quarantine anymore but it says 3 days quarantine in Pattaya. Nobody will come to Thailand if that happens. Making things complicated and harder. Take care of your people by restoring the economy & mass tourism. Get a grip!!!!!!

The vast majority of tourists travelling from Europe to Thailand normally take a 2 week holiday which is standard for most countries. The whole proposal is based on people staying for 3 weeks or longer. You book a 2 week holiday and have to isolate for your first 3 days and then you are down to 11 days of your Hol remaining. Also you are only allowed to travel outside the province that you are in after 2 weeks and that rules out visiting Bangkok. Crying out loud why on earth would a tourist book a holiday in Thailand?

Hear, hear! Hello, Bangkok_Gary and welcome to T-T. Feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional and geographical perspectives. An excellent debut post . . . I look forward to many more! KC